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William Ward (1649-1697)
}} Biography Indian Plantation Source: BOOK: History of the Brigham Family p. 27: At the time of Philip's War, they fled to Watertown. On their return, such was the feeling against Indian perfidy, a petition was made to the General Court to divide the 6000-acre " Indian Plantation," a part of and contiguous to Marlboro. Although this was denied, the people, under the leadership of John Brigham, took a deed from the Indians to these lands, 15 July, 1684; and though this was declared " null and void " by the General Court, the white proprietors proceeded to divide and settle these lands, under the supervision of their agent, the said John Brigham, who was their surveyor. In the 1686 list of proprietors we find the names of all the young Brighams, and their alliances, for the first time set out, viz.: Mercy Hunt (former widow of the Puritan Brigham, who before this time had married her third husband, William Hunt, also then dead), Thomas Brigham, John Brigham, Samuel Brigham, John Fay, (husband of Mary Brigham), and William Ward (husband of Hannah Brigham). Feeling uneasy over the adverse action of the Court, in 1683, the proprietors agreed that their grants " shall stand good to all intents and purposes, if they be attested by John Brigham, their Clerk." And so it stood, until, after a generation, having acquired title by possession, the General Court confirmed it. p. 57: NOTE 4.—SALE BY HEIRS OF THOMAS^ BRIGHAM, 1681 We Thomas Brigham, John Brigham, Samuel Brigham & William Ward, all of Marlbury in the County of Middlesex, Husbandmen, for & in consideration of fifteen pounds of currant money of New England, by us already received of Nicholas Fessenden of Cambridge in the same county, Glover . . . sold . . . unto said Nicholas Fessenden a platt of meadow & swamp lying in Cambridge bounds, conteyning about ten acres, as it is stated in the town book, be it more or less bounded, the above Nicholas Fessenden Southerly, Monotoma River westerly, the great swamp easterly, formerly in the possession of Edward Senr . . . In witness whereof we the abovesd Thomas Brigham, Jno Brigham, Samuell Brigham, & William Ward and or wives Mary & Sarah Brigham with Hannah Ward in acknowledgement of our free consent to this act 6 deed of our husbands & ye utter relinquishing of or Dower right in the above granted ... ye 27tii day of ye lOt^i m the year of o' Lord God . . . 1681. (scale) Thomas Brigham. John Brigham (seale) Samuel Brigham (seale) William Ward (seale) (Mid. Beg., viii. 134.) p 72: At a meeting of the proprietors, in December of the same year, continues Hudson, it was voted that Major Hincksman and others "should have the thousand acres of land which was surveyed by John Brigham, and. signified by the plats under his hand, should be recorded in the Company's Book of Records, so that it make a final settlement of all differences about the said land, as to any further claimes." Among the fifty-two proprietors were included John, Samuel and Thomas, sons of Thomas^ Brigham, Mercy Hunt, their mother, and John Fay and William Ward, who had married their sisters... ------- His children: Marriage & Family # Bethiah Ward (1681-1765) - md her 1st cousin, Elnathan Brigham # Nahum Ward (1684-1754) - militia colonel, 1st mayor of Shrewsbury MA, father of American Revolutionary Gen Artemas Ward. # Luke Ward (1689-) # Priscilla Ward (1692-) # Gersham Ward (1693-) # Eleazer Ward (1695-) # Deborah Ward (1697-) # Hopestill Ward (1702-)